Now That I'm Home
by Twilightloverforeverandever
Summary: Since her parents' divorce 4 years ago, Bella has been living with Renee who forbid her from seeing her father. When Renee dies, she is sent to live with Charlie and finally becomes a part of the world she was unknowingly born into. Not ExB! ON HIATUS!
1. Now That I'm Home

**Hey everyone!**

**This is my first non-canon story so I'll see how this goes :D**

**WHOLE STORY DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THE CHARACTERS; THEY ALL BELONG TO THE AMAZING STEPHANIE MEYER!**

**Hope you enjoy the first chapter!**

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Now That I'm Home

"Dad," I called out loudly as I entered his house for the first time in four years. After my parents divorce, my mother had said that I was not to set foot in my rainy home town of La Push ever again, let alone see my father so I hadn't been allowed anywhere this house in a long time.

"Bella!" I heard him exclaim in excitement as he came down the stairs, still in his police uniform from his early morning shift, to embrace me in a hug.

"Dad," I exclaimed in equal excitement. "I've missed you!"

He smiled and looked me over as he pulled away slightly, "Me too Bells. Wow, you've certainly grown up since I last saw you!"

I grinned, "And you haven't changed a bit in four years."

He laughed but it slowly faded into a frown.

"How are you doing after...?" he started hesitantly.

I sighed, "Dad I'm fine, really. Renee's death really wasn't that big of a shock with the amount of alcohol she'd been consuming."

I had sort of hoped that Dad wouldn't bring up the reason for me being here. After the divorce my mother, Renee, had become an alcoholic and eventually it caught up with her when she passed away of kidney failure just over a week ago.

He smiled sadly, "I will never know what happened to the Renee I loved so much."

"Neither will I dad," I told him honestly, remembering the way my mother used to be before the divorce.

He opened his mouth to say something when the door bell rang.

"I'll get it," he told me. "You go up to your room and get settled."

I nodded before climbing the stairs and heading up to the bedroom that I'd left behind all those years ago. I quickly unpacked all my belongings before heading down stairs to see if dad had anything planned for lunch.

"Dad," I called as I walked towards the living room where I could hear the TV going. "What are we-?"

I stopped midsentence as I entered the living room, noticing not only was my dad not there, but sitting in front of our huge plasma screen TV were nine massive teenage boys. All of them turned to look at me when I entered but I was only focused on the one I would recognize anywhere.

"Bella?" he exclaimed, jumping up with eyes as wide as saucers.

"Jake!" I exclaimed happily as he jumped up and tackled me into a big bear hug.

"What are you doing here?" he asked in excitement. "Uncle Charlie didn't tell me you were coming home."

I grinned, "That's because I told him to keep quiet so that I could surprise you!"

"When did Renee finally agree to let you come live here?" he asked.

"She didn't," I told them honestly. "She died almost a week ago and considering Charlie is my closest living relative I got sent to live with him."

"I'm sorry," he frowned.

"It's okay," I told him, smiling slightly. "I get the feeling that for the last few years of her life Renee really didn't want to live anyway."

He wrapped me back up in his arms, "I missed you, Bells."

I breathed in my cousin's familiar woodsy scent and smiled, "I missed you too, Jake."

"Well now that we all know you missed each other," Uncle Billy's amused voice came from the doorway into the kitchen. "How about you come over here and give your old Uncle Billy a hug."

I grinned at him before running at him and tackling him into a strong hug.

"How you doing kiddo?" he whispered softly to me.

"I'm great now that I'm home," I told him with a grin.

He returned my grin as Dad appeared behind him, "Lunch is ready."

"What are we having?" I asked.

"A barbeque," Jake told me as he slung his arm across my shoulders, walking outside and grabbing our food before taking our seats at the table.

"Are you going to introduce me to your friends?" I asked him with a mischievous smile.

He rolled his eyes but grinned and did it anyway.

"This is Quil and Embry," he said, gesturing to the two guys who took seats in front of us.

"Hey," I greeted both of them with a smile.

They both smiled and replied in kind.

"This is Paul," Jake spoke again, directing my attention to the next boy that sat down. He looked older then Embry and Quil who looked the same age as Jake, while they all really looked over twenty-five anyway.

He grinned at me flirtatiously and picked up my hand to kiss it, "It's a pleasure to meet you."

I couldn't help but giggle in response, "You too."

I looked at Jake to see him glaring daggers at Paul who was pointedly ignoring them and I had to nudge him to continue when the next two guys sat down.

"This is Collin and Brady," he told me as a set of obvious identical twins, who looked slightly younger then the rest of them, grinned and said 'hey' as they took seats.

"This is Jared," he said as one more boy sat down. He looked the same age as Paul and greeted me with a 'hey Bella' and a contagious grin as he sat down in the seat next to me.

"Hey, I'm Seth," one of the boys said as he took a seat next to Paul. He looked slightly older then the twins but still looked younger then Embry, Quil and Jacob.

"Hey," I greeted him with a smile.

"Where's Sam?" Jake asked in confusion as Dad and Uncle Billy took seats at opposite ends of the table.

"Still in the house probably," Dad answered him, shrugging.

"I'll go see what he's doing," Jared said as he stood up from the seat next to me and walked back inside.

Everyone quickly dug into the meal as we began questioning each other

"How old are you?" Paul asked me.

"Seventeen," I answered. "How old are all of you?"

"Eighteen," Paul was the first to answer.

"Quil, Jake and I are all seventeen," Embry answered for them.

"Fifteen," Brady and Collin answered in perfect unison and no one seemed surprised with the way they spoke together. They must be one of those sets of twins that finished each others sentences.

"I'm sixteen," Seth told me and I nodded.

"Jared is eighteen and Sam, who you're yet to meet, is Twenty-one," Jake answered for them.

At the same time as Jake spoke, Jared walked out of the house looking slightly like he'd seen a ghost.

"Jared?" I asked, bringing his attention to me. "Are you alright? You don't look so good."

He slowly nodded before stepping forward to whisper something in Dad's ear. I watched in confusion as Dad visibly paled.

"Sam did what?" he exploded, turning around to face Jared.

Jared looked petrified as Dad stood up and stormed into the house, Billy hot on his heels. As they disappeared, Jared sank back into the seat next to me, breathing a sigh of relief.

"You look like you thought he was going to murder you," I laughed quietly.

He looked at me seriously, "With what I just had to tell him I wouldn't have been surprised if he had."

"What did you tell him?" Paul asked in interest.

Jared sighed, glancing at me briefly before answering, "Sam imprinted."

There was dead silence around the table as everyone absorbed the information before they all looked suddenly happy for their friend, though I could see slight confusion in their faces too.

"What the heck is imprinting?" I asked Jake.

"Can you promise me something?" Jake asked, taking a hold of both my hands.

I nodded slowly.

"You're going to hear us mention some really weird things that you're not going to understand," he told me. "Please, promise me you won't pry into what's going on. It's for your own safety."

I alternated staring between his eyes for a moment before finally agreeing, "Okay."

"Something else you should know," Jared said slowly, mainly aiming it at Jake.

"What?" Jake asked him in confusion, looking away from me.

"I didn't finish," he stated, looking anywhere but at Jake before taking a deep breath and closing his eyes before continuing. "Sam imprinted...on Bella."

And that was when all hell broke loose.

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	2. Just Old Tribal Legends

**Hey everyone and thanks for the reviews!**

**I got way more then I ever expected to get for my first chapter so thank you so much :D**

**Here is the second chapter and I hope you all like it!**

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_**Last Chapter:**_

_And that was when all hell broke loose._

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Just Old Tribal Legends

It all happened so quick that if I'd blinked, I probably would have missed it.

Jake jumped out of his seat blindingly fast and visibly shaking. At the same moment, Embry and Quil flew across the table at Jake and shoved him towards the forest and away from the house that he was trying to get to and Jared's arms wrapped around me in a vice like grip. He pulled me out of my chair and had me across the yard faster then I could see his movements.

I stared at Jake as we came to a stop and watched in shock as he glared at his best friends, shaking violently.

"Out of all the girls in La Push," Jake yelled loudly. "Why did he have to choose Bella?"

Jake tried once again to push past Embry and Quil but, shaking almost as much as Jake, they pushed him back easily.

"He has no choice," Quil seemed to be reminding him.

"You know that," Embry said softly. "We all do."

Jake took a deep breath and the tremors that were racking his body slowed and lessened but did not stop.

"Where is he?" he demanded, turning on Jared.

"In the house," he mumbled so quietly that even though his arms were still holding me still I only just heard him. "He wanted to talk to Charlie and Billy about it first."

Without another word, Jake pushed past Embry and Quil and stormed into the house, slamming the door on the way inside. There was a long silence between those of us who were left outside before I finally broke it.

"Would someone please explain to me what just happened?" I asked quietly.

Jared's arms dropped from my waist and I heard him sigh quietly as both of us moved towards the table were the other boys now sat, staring either at their plate or off into space.

"We can't be the ones to tell you," Paul told me quietly as I sat back down. "Only Sam or one of the elders is able to."

I opened my mouth to ask why that was when someone interrupted me.

"Bella?"

I turned around to see who had spoken and felt my eyes visibly widen. The guy who stood behind me had to be at least 6'7 and as, like the others, he wasn't wearing a shirt, I could easily see his extremely defined muscles. He had short brown hair, cropped to just above his ears, and deep, dark brown eyes that I just wanted to fall into.

Wow.

I quickly snapped my self out of it.

"I take it you're Sam?" I asked, my eyebrows raising at him.

He nodded and smiled at me as he sat down in Jake's now empty seat. I briefly wondered where he'd ended up going but didn't have to for long when I noticed Jake, Uncle Billy and Charlie coming out of the back door.

"Then would you mind explaining to me what is going on?" I asked, breaking my promise to Jake about not prying in the process.

He drew a hand threw his hair, drawing my attention to it, as he spoke, "It's probably better if Charlie tells you. He knows the legends better then I do."

"What legends?" I demanded, turning towards my father as he and Uncle Billy took back their original seats.

He sighed, "Can you think back to before Renee took you away? Do you remember the legends that Billy and I used to tell you and Jacob when you were little?"

I tried to think back to when I was younger and used to love listening to Dad and Uncle Billy telling old tribal legends around the camp fire but none of the full stories came to mind.

I shook my head.

He took a deep breath before he told a legend I knew I'd heard millions of times before but didn't remember.

"Well, there are lots of legends, some of the claiming to date back to the Flood – supposedly, the ancient Quileutes tied their canoes to the tops of the tallest trees on the mountain to survive like Noah and the ark," he began. "Another legend claims that we descended from wolves – and that the wolves are our brothers still. That's why it's against tribal law to kill them."

I nodded, remembering the ancient law but still not seeing why this was relevant.

"According to legend," Dad continued. "Your great-grandfather was one of them – a man that turned into a wolf. A werewolf if you will."

"And what does that have to do with anything?" I demanded in confusion.

"The ability to turn into a wolf is said to be passed down from generation to generation into the male decendants," he told me.

"Are trying to tell me that Jacob is a werewolf?" I demanded, glancing at him out of the corner of my eye.

I saw him flinch.

"Yes," Uncle Billy said softly. "We all are."

I stared at him for a moment before I blurted out the first thing that came to mind, "That's crazy! They're just old tribal legends!"

"Dad," Jake spoke, his face emotionless. "Do you want me to prove it to her?"

I stared between the two of them in slight panic but it wasn't Billy who answered.

"No," Sam's deep voice said from beside me. "I'll do it."

Without a glance back, he disappeared into the forest behind my house.

"Dad what is he-" I started to asked but he cut me off.

"Just watch," he said, pointing to where Sam had disappeared into the forest.

Only a few moments passed before a midnight black horse sized wolf came walking out of the woods. I felt my eyes widen and my mouth open to scream but no sound came out. It turned its head towards me and it looked me in the eyes with its deep, dark brown ones, causing me to close my mouth and gulp.

"Sam?"

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	3. Whatever You Need

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**On with the story...**

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_**Last Chapter:**_

_"__Sam?"_

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Whatever You Need

The horse-sized wolf nodded its huge head, looking almost as frightened of my reaction as I was of it.

"You really are a werewolf?" I asked quietly of the _horse-sized_ _wolf_– I mean – Sam.

Again, Sam's head nodded up and down.

I whirled around to face Uncle Billy, Dad and Jake, "And you're all like this?"

"Yeah," Dad answered, rubbing the back of his neck. "Well, Jake is. Billy and I stopped phasing when you kids were born."

I blew out a breath before turning back to face Sam, only to find him now in his human form and a pair of cut off jeans.

"Does someone want to tell me what imprinting is, then?" I asked him, raising my eyebrows at him.

I was surprised when he faltered slightly, "Uh…"

"Don't even try making me tell her," Dad told him strictly. "It has to be you and you know that."

Sam sighed before turning to me, taking two steps closer and staring straight into my eyes as he answered, "Imprinting is a werewolf's way of mating. They imprint on their true love, their soul mate. The moment we see them for the first time, the whole world shifts and a million metal cables connect us to that person. It's almost as though gravity no longer holds us to the earth, our imprint does. We'll do absolutely anything for them and it physically hurts to be away from them. The bond is so strong that it's impossible to ignore and nothing can ever come between it because the wolf can't live without them."

I stared back at him for a second and there was an extremely long pause where I knew I could have heard a pin drop.

"And you imprinted … on me," I said slowly, never looking away from him.

"Yes," he stated, searching my eyes for something – though I had no idea what.

"And I don't get any choice in this?" I suddenly demanded. I had always hated the fact that Renee was running my life and that I had no control over it. I'd been happy when I found out I was moving to La Push because I could finally control my own life and now, they were trying to tell me that because of some stupid werewolf mating ritual, I couldn't choose who I fell in love with.

There is no way I'm letting that happen.

"Bella," Dad suddenly interrupted, almost as though he could sense my thoughts. "It can't be helped and Sam didn't get a choice in this either."

"I'm not going to love him just because of some weird werewolf thing," I told him angrily.

"But-" he started but I interrupted him.

"I don't want to hear it," I told him before turning towards the way I knew my favorite beach to be. "I'm going for a walk."

With that, I disappeared out threw the house and towards First Beach.

It was about ten minutes after I sat down on a piece of driftwood shaped like a bench that I felt someone approaching me. I didn't turn to look for I already knew.

"Hey Jake," I said softly as he sat down beside me, my eyes still on the crashing waves of the beach.

"Hey," he replied. "Are you alright?"

I sighed and finally turned to look at him and instantly noticed his worried expression.

"I...I'm not sure," I answered truthfully. "I mean, the moment I saw Sam I felt some kind of pull to him but now I know it's just some werewolf thing and not my real feelings."

"Sam is not the only one who has imprinted you know," Jake told me suddenly, making my head snap towards him.

"Who else has?" I asked.

"Jared," he answered.

"On who?" I asked.

"That's the thing," he told me. "He sits next to a girl named Kim in almost all of his classes. He rarely ever looked at her twice but she was had almost always loved him. He walks into the room the first time after phasing and _bam_ he loves her like no one else can."

"Why are you telling me this?" I asked him.

He sighed, "I'm telling you this because the girl that a werewolf imprints on falls in love with him on her own will not because of the imprint itself, that's only the wolf."

"That's just as bad," I reminded him. "Knowing that he only loves me because he has to."

He groaned but was smiling slightly, "Your going to make this as difficult for Sam as you can, aren't you?"

I grinned at him, "Yep. Pretty much."

He laughed, returning to our usual light hearted ways.

"Hey," I said, suddenly remembering something. "How come you got so mad before when you found out Sam imprinted on me?"

"Oh that," he mumbled before answering me fully. "The rational part of me knows that he could never hurt you or anything like that because it's impossible for a wolf to do so to their imprint. They're perfect and they mould to be that way for you. I was just being my over protective self and not listening to that half. I guess I just get a little protective when guys show interest in you, it was almost a natural reaction."

I nodded and smiled at him, "I can understand that."

"Good," he said. "Now will you come back to the house? Charlie, Billy and Sam are all worried sick about you."

I rolled my eyes as we stood up and started heading back, "Because you just had to add Sam in there."

"Yep," he grinned. "Because I know that eventually you will give in and even if you don't, he will be a part of your life for as long as you live. Even if it's not as a lover he'll mould to be the perfect brother, perfect best friend, whatever you need, he will be it."

I sighed, "I guess I can at least accept that no matter what, I'm stuck with him in my life."

"I'm glad that's sorted," Jake smiled as he swung an arm over my shoulder and walked with me back through the house and into the backyard.

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	4. You'll Be Whatever I Want?

**Hey everyone and thanks for all the reviews :D**

**In the last chapter, someone reviewed telling me that Jacob and Bella were acting more like boyfriend and girlfriend then cousins. That was no where near my intention and I hope it didn't come off that way to too many people. To Bella, Jake is more like the twin brother she never had then a cousin and I just portrayed it the same way I am around my cousin who, because of my messed up family, is technically my soon-to-be step-brother anyway.**

**Anyhow… I hope that that made sense and that it wasn't just me rambling on.**

**On with the chapter!**

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_**Last Chapter:**_

_"I'm glad that's sorted," Jake smiled as he swung an arm over my shoulder and walked with me back through the house and into the backyard._

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You'll be whatever I Want?

We arrived back at the house to find the boys cleaning up the backyard and the table and chairs. They all looked up as we arrived before turning back to what they were doing – except for Sam.

He came towards us holding the plates of food Jake and I had grabbed earlier. He handed Jake's plate to him and I hesitantly took mine.

"Thanks," I smiled slightly at him.

His answering smile was breath taking, "No problem."

I nodded before turning around and heading into the dinning room to finish eating as the boys were packed up by now. Jake and I sat down at the table in a comfortable silence as we ate. Just as both Jake and I were about to finish, even though he'd originally had twice as much as I did, Sam appeared in the door way.

I looked up at him as he stared at me.

"You know," I spoke up, lowering my fork from my mouth. "It's really hard to eat comfortably with someone watching you."

He looked away sheepishly and said a quiet, "Sorry."

I didn't respond, instead I picked up both my and Jake's now clean plates and heading into the kitchen to clean them.

"Jake," I heard Sam stop Jake just as he was leaving the room. "Don't forget that you and Embry have patrol in half an hour."

"I know," Jake said as he left the room.

I stood in the kitchen as I washed the dishes but I could feel his eyes burning into my back, "Are you seriously going to just continue to stare at me?"

"No," he spoke softly as he walked towards me. "This is just so new to me. I told you before that my world now revolves around you and even being in a different room to you, makes it feel like something is missing."

I glanced at him as he lent against the counter next to me, "You think this is weird to you? Try being told that a werewolf, who you've never even met before, has to be around you 24/7 or they'll be in pain."

He stared at me as he answered, "I know that this whole thing will be hard on you but like Charlie said earlier – neither of us have a choice."

I sighed, "But why me? There are tones of other girls out there. Why did you imprint on me?"

"I don't know," he answered me truthfully. "But imprinting is about soul mates and reproduction."

I turned to stare at him with my eyebrows raised as I realized what he'd just said, "You think you imprinted on me because I'm the best candidate to make strong werewolf babies?"

He seemed to pale slightly at the look on my face, "No. No, that's not what I meant."

"Then what did you mean?" I asked him curiously.

"I meant that I'm the Alpha of the current wolf pack only because Jake didn't take it from me when he first phased. The Alpha position is in your bloodline, though, not mine. I think that I imprinted on _you_ so that the next Alpha of the pack not only has the direct bloodline but also a father who was the Alpha before him," he quickly explained himself.

I absorbed that information for a moment, "So no matter whom I marry or have kids with, my sons would all be werewolves?"

He nodded.

"And what was that about the Alpha bloodline?" I asked.

"Your great-grandfather was the first Alpha werewolf. Like everything else about werewolves, it's genetic," he began to explain. "Your grandfather was his eldest son so he became the Alpha after his father stepped down. When it became time for your grandfather to do the same, your dad became Alpha as he was his eldest son. It would have then gone to Charlie's eldest son but he never had one. So, the position goes to the next person in the bloodline Billy, but he'd already stopped phasing so it went to his eldest son, Jake. However, if you have a son it will go directly to him, even if Jake is still phasing as his Alpha blood will be stronger then Jake's."

"But Jake didn't take the position," I stated rather then asked.

Sam shook his head, "No, he didn't. When Jake phased I was all ready to step down as Alpha and give him the position but he refused it. He said it didn't feel like it was his right to take it and that I should stay Alpha."

"What did Jake mean he didn't feel like it was his right to take it?" I asked.

"Usually," he said. "Shortly after an Alpha first phases, you see signs of their position. Like, they have the ability to order around any werewolf not higher then them in the bloodline or the fact that they're usually the first or second to phase in that generation. However, I was first to phase and Jake was the fifth and hasn't shown any signs of being able to give us an Alpha order."

"Which means what exactly?" I asked in confusion.

"It means he's not the rightful Alpha," Sam explained. "I only have the ability to be Alpha as I was the first to phase and the true Alpha hasn't appeared yet but once they do, I'll step down."

"But who else could it be?" I asked in confusion.

"Well," Sam said thoughtfully. "It has to be someone we don't know about. Either you have a long lost brother somewhere, or Jacob does, or even Billy and Charlie. Either way, somewhere out there, someone from your blood line is our Alpha and probably doesn't even know it."

Jared took that second, before I had a chance to respond, to walk into the kitchen. He froze when he saw us in the middle of a deep discussion and looked like he was going to walk back out when I stopped him.

"Hey Jared," I smiled at him. "Did you want something?"

"Uh…Yeah, I did actually," he said, still looking between the two of us. "I came to ask if I could invite Kim, my girlfriend, over so that she can meet another imprint her own age."

I picked up on what most people would have missed, "Another imprint her age? You mean more then just the two of you have imprinted? Jake told me it was just the two of you."

"Oh…uh," he glanced at Sam who sighed.

"Kim can come over," he stated. "And I'll explain the imprint thing to Bella."

Jared looked slightly relieved as he left the kitchen, almost as though he were happy to get away from the tension in the room.

I turned back to look at Sam questioningly.

"Quil and Seth have also imprinted," Sam told me.

"And why do you say that like you don't want to tell me?" I asked in confusion.

He hesitated slightly before answering, "Quil's imprint is two and Seth's is ten."

"Quil's in love with a two year old," I repeated slowly. "And Seth's in love with a ten year old."

Sam quickly shook his head, "Didn't Jake tell you that when you imprint it's not about being in love. We mould to fit whatever our imprint needs most. Quil will spend the next few years of his life as an older brother or almost father figure while Seth will most likely be somewhere between older brother and best friend. It depends on the imprint's age. Once they're old enough though, Quil and Seth will eventually fall in love with their imprints. Jared and I on the other hand are the same age as our imprints, meaning that the falling in love part happens pretty much straight away. However, it is essentially up to the imprint where the relationship goes."

I stared at him for a moment and he stared back, not breaking eye contact, "So you'll be whatever I want you to be?"

He nodded and smiled slightly, "Basically, it's impossible for me to say no to you."

"But," I started, beginning to realize just how strong this imprint thing was. "If I want to grow old and marry someone else, no matter how hard you try, you'll never be able to love someone enough to marry them?"

"No," he agreed softly. "I wouldn't. I already know that I won't even look at another girl twice now that I've imprinted. It happened to Quil. He had a girlfriend when he imprinted on Claire and all his feelings for her just disappeared and there was nothing he could do about it."

The doorbell rang then and I hurried out of the kitchen, and away from the tense conversation with Sam, to open it.

"Hey," a pretty but shy looking Quileute girl greeted me. "You must be Bella. I'm Kim."

I smiled at her, "Oh hey. Jared said you were coming. Come on in."

"Thanks," she said, returning my smile. Jared instantly appeared in the hall way and wrapped her up in his arms, kissing her with so much love that I had to look away.

I guess I had the strength of this whole imprinting thing completely wrong after all. It was going to be harder then I thought to resist it.

But, the question now was, did I really want to?

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	5. Sam's Cult

**Hey again!**

**Also, in this chapter I mention and Emily and no, it is not the same Emily your thinking of. Emily Young does not exist in this story and the Emily I have used is a completely made up character.**

**Anyway, on with the chapter!**

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Sam's Cult

"How long have you and Jared been together?" I asked Kim an hour later as we sat out in the backyard, watching the werewolves messing around and play wrestling. No matter how hard I was trying to resist him - Sam wrestling? Hottest sight you will ever see.

"Since about three weeks after he phased and two after he imprinted on me," she mused allowed. "And that was about a year ago now."

"And you never tried to fight it?" I asked.

"Fight what?" she asked in confusion.

"The imprint," I elaborated.

"Oh," she said before she shook her head. "The thing is, I've known Jared since we were little kids and I've loved him for years. The second he showed some interest in me, I wasn't about to let the opportunity pass me by, even if it was only because he was a werewolf."

"I guess that's where we differ," I told her quietly. "But I've only just met Sam and being told within five minutes of meeting him that he'll love me for the rest of my life isn't really the best first impression."

She smiled, "I can see how that would be weird, I guess."

"How did they tell you?" I asked. "About them being werewolves, I mean."

"They held a big bonfire with all of the pack members and all the elders," she told me, watching Jared as he wrestled with Paul. "They retold all of the tribal legends before telling me the truth. They were real and I was a part of it."

"Did you believe them?" I asked.

"Yes," she said. "But unlike you I've spent all of my life in La Push and I'd noticed some weird things happening around what everyone else calls 'Sam's Cult' and I guess it finally explained everything."

"'Sam's Cult'?" I asked.

She laughed, "It's what outsiders call the pack because they don't know the truth. They just think Sam has brainwashed a group of kids into following him around."

"I can see how people would get that impression," I agreed as I watched Sam ordering a shaking Paul and Brandy to calm down.

She smiled at me, "When you start school tomorrow you'll find that every member of La Push knows about us but they know the lie and we have to keep it that way."

"Don't worry," I told her. "I'll be keeping this to myself. Besides, I'm pretty sure they'd want to send me to a loony bin if I ever told anyone."

Kim, and half the pack who'd been listening, laughed.

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The next day was the first day back of the new school year. I wasn't usually a nervous person; in fact, I usually liked to tackle things head on, but this? This had me nervous – my first day at La Push High School. I knew I really had nothing to worry about because I'd have the whole pack, other then Sam, and Kim there with me but something about today had me nervous. I'd gotten to know the Pack and Kim really well last night and I could tell that they were all really protective of each other as they'd all been through the same thing and that they were family. In a way, I was glad I could be a part of that, heck, Seth had even joked that I'd make a good mum for the little family.

"Come on Bells," Jake's voice yelled from down stairs. "Do you want a ride or not?"

I sighed quietly as I heard him. I was yet to buy myself a car, even though I'd just finished saving up to get the one I wanted just before my mum died, and so Jake was driving me to school today.

"Sorry," I called back as I grabbed my book bag and swung it over my shoulder. "I'm coming."

"About time," he muttered as I reached the bottom step.

I rolled my eyes but other wise ignored him.

"Bye Dad," I called as I passed by the dinning room where he was having breakfast.

"Bye Bells," he called back. "Bye Jake."

"Later Uncle Charlie," Jake called as we walked out the front door.

We climbed into Jake's hand built Volkswagen Rabbit and headed for the high school.

"Nervous?" Jake asked playfully when we were nearly there.

"A little," I admitted.

"Hey," he smiled softly. "Don't worry about it. The pack and I all have your back if someone bugs you. We're under Alpha orders."

I turned to him surprise, "Sam _ordered_ you to look after me?"

He smiled slightly, "He ordered the entire pack to look out for each others imprints a while back, when Jared first imprinted actually. He did, however, make sure he reinforced that order after meeting you."

I shook my head, "I don't know if I should be flattered that he wants to make sure I'm safe or offended that he thinks I need protecting."

He laughed, "Even if you don't need it he'd still do it. Werewolves are very protective of their imprints."

Jake's rabbit pulled into the parking lot and we hoped out, quickly finding the others either sitting or standing around a picnic table.

"Hey guys," I greeted them all as I took a seat next to Kim.

"Hey Bella, Jake," they all greeted us.

"What's everyone staring at?" I whispered to Kim moments later when I realized that nearly the whole school stared at our little group as they walked passed.

She smiled slightly, "You've seen how good looking the boys are, almost every girl has a crush on at least on of them."

"And the boys?" I asked.

She full out grinned then, "You're fresh meat."

I audibly gulped.

The whole pack laughed.

"Thanks for the support guys," I said sarcastically before Kim and I both headed off to class.

* * *

"How's your day been so far?" Jared asked me as I sat down between him and Paul at the lunch table where the whole pack sat.

"Its been alright," I said honestly before sighing. "But some of the boys are starting to get on my nerves."

This seemed to catch all of their attention.

"Who?" Paul demanded next to me.

"Well there was this one guy..." I trailed off seeing the murderous looks they all had on their faces.

"Who was it Bella?" Jake asked. "We'll get him to leave you alone."

"Thanks for the offer guys," I said slowly. "But I want to get him to leave me alone not scar him for life."

"But-" Jake started to say but I cut him off.

"Let it go Jake," I pleaded. "Please."

He sighed, "Fine but Sam won't be happy."

I glared at him, "I don't care what makes Sam happy."

"You will one day," Paul told me, grinning from ear to ear.

I rolled my eyes, "Do any of you have any faith in me being able to resist Sam?"

"No," they all said in unison.

"Bella," Kim's soft voice spoke from Jared's other side and I turned to look at her. "As I'm sure you've already been told, it's your choice whether or not you accept the imprint. However, you'll soon find, it's next to impossible to resist that kind of devotion."

"Devotion?" I questioned her.

She nodded and smiled up at Jared as she answered, "You're all they ever think about. Every little thing about you they notice. Without even being told they just know how to take care of you, know how to treat you. It's impossible to ignore - not that I ever tried very hard."

Jared smiled down at her and kissed her softly. Again, I found I had to look away from that kind of love.

Suddenly, I heard small growl escape Jake's chest at the same time I felt someone tap me on the shoulder. I turned around to find four boys standing behind me.

"You're the chief's daughter, Isabella Black, aren't you?" the one who'd tapped me on the shoulder asked. He, like all Quileute's, had dark brown skin and long brown hair. However, I was surprised to see he had sharp blue eyes that stood out amongst his skin, something very rare for a Quileute.

"Bella," I corrected automatically as I smiled at him.

"I'm Nate," he introduced himself before gesturing to the three boys behind him. "And this is Kyle, Reese and Jason."

"Hello," I greeted all of them.

"Hey," the three guys behind him greeted back effortlessly.

I turned my attention back to Nate and he looked like he was about to say something when Jake suddenly spoke up.

"What do you want with my cousin, Nate?" he demanded of him, standing up in the process.

He smiled lazily at him, "Aren't I allowed to say hello to our next Tribal Chief?"

"That position is going to Sam Uley," Jake said, glaring daggers at him. "And you know that. The Tribal Chief is always _male_."

Of course, I knew why that was but Nate didn't.

"A little sexiest, don't you think Black?" Nate asked, glaring back.

"Okay," I said, stepping between both of them before anything else could happen. "Calm down. Both of you."

"Don't you want to be Tribal Chief?" Nate demanded of me.

"It doesn't matter if I want to of not," I told him. "The position isn't mine to take."

"It'd be better then _Uley_ taking up the position," he muttered.

"What's so bad about Sam?" I asked.

"So he's got you brainwashed to, has he?" he spat at me.

"What are you talking about?" I demanded.

"_Uley_ and this stupid cult of his," Jason said, speaking for the first time, and gesturing to the the pack. "The elders practically worship the ground that kid walks on. He's not even related to our original chief. _You're_the only one left in the direct blood line and it should be yours to take when your father dies, even if you are female, yet you don't even seem to care that someone else is taking your position."

"I told you before," I insisted. "The position isn't mine to take and I've known that my whole life. If you want to take it up with the person who is next in line for Chief talk to Jake not me."

"Jacob is part of Sam's cult," Kyle said, stepping closer to me. "If he became chief, Sam would still be the one running it. We were hoping that at least you wouldn't fall for his stupid mind games and we could have a chief who wasn't under his control. I guess we were wrong."

With that, all four of them walked away from our table. Jake was breathing heavily beside me from when I'd stopped him from attacking Nate but I was surprised to find that so was I.

"Who, on earth, were they?" I demanded of Jake as I turned back around.

He sighed as he took a seat, "One of the many groups of La Push kids who don't want Sam as Tribal Chief."

"And why not?" I asked, turning to him.

"The Chief's position has been in our family since the beginning of our people," Jake explained to me. "It's always gone to the eldest son but since Uncle Charlie never had a son people are worried about who's going to take the spot. Some people want me to be chief to keep it in the family but also make sure the chief stays male as is tradition, only because of the whole werewolf thing though, while others want you as chief as you are the only remaining direct decedent of the direct first male born blood line."

I thought about it for a second before I muttered something, "Maybe that's why."

"What's why?" Paul asked next to me.

I shook my head, "Nothing."

He didn't look like he was going to drop it, none of them did, but the bell rang and I didn't have to answer any questions. The phase 'Saved by the bell' couldn't be more true in that moment.

* * *

"How was school?"

I jumped several feet in the air at the sound of Sam's voice only a meter from me as I spun around to face him. I was surprised to find him in a police uniform similar to Charlie's but I'd never exactly asked what he did for a job and I guess that being a policeman is a good a job as any for a 'protector'. Maybe Sam would become Police Chief as well as Tribal Chief when he took the position, similar to what Dad had done when Granddad had past away.

I was momentarily distracted by the sight of Sam in a police uniform but quickly snapped myself out of it when I realized he was speaking.

"Are you alright?" he asked worriedly as I placed a hand over my racing heart.

"Yeah," I said, turning back to the lasagna I was cooking. "I just wasn't expecting you. You werewolves are way to quiet."

"Sorry," he said sincerely as he hopped up onto the table top next to where I was cooking.

"What are you doing here?" I asked.

"I'm checking up on you," he told me honestly. "I know that I told you it's painful to stay away from you but I've also recently discovered that it makes me anxious too."

"How'd you get in here?" I asked the next question that came to mind.

He smiled almost sheepishly, "Charlie gave me a key last night after I imprinted on you. He had a spare one made as soon as he heard you were coming home. Apparently he had a feeling one of us was going to be imprinting on you."

"Then why did he get so mad when he first found out?" I asked.

"He wasn't mad," Sam said thoughtfully. "He just wanted to give me a long hard talking to about keeping you safe and I don't think he'd expected it to me that imprinted on you. I think he hoped it would be one of the younger guys so that he didn't have to worry about the weird daughter dating an older guy thing."

"Oh," I mumbled. "So this will probably be a regular occurrence?"

"Yes," he nodded. "Now you still haven't answer my question about school."

"School was fine," I told him.

I saw him frown out of the corner of my eye, "You're lying"

"How would you know?" I asked him.

He smiled slightly at me, "You're my imprint. I pay attention to pretty much everything you do."

I sighed, "It was just some guys saying some stuff."

I felt his hand touch my chin and I automatically looked up but also made sure to step away from his touch when I did.

"What'd they say?" he asked, looking between my eyes.

"It's nothing," I told him.

"Bella," he said sternly.

"Fine," I muttered as I turned my head to stare out the window. "This group of four guys came up to me at lunch and started an argument with me and Jake about how it was my right to be the next Tribal Chief. Of course, they don't know about the whole werewolf thing so they don't know that the Chief has to be a guy."

"Do _you_ feel it's your right to be Chief even if you aren't male?" he asked after a pause.

I honestly thought about it before answering, "I guess I feel like I shouldn't be denied the job just because I'm female but I know that's not the true reason for why I am being denied it. It's because only werewolves are male and the Chief has always been the Alpha werewolf."

"So you think the position is mine then?" he asked me.

"Yes and no," I said. "I think it's your position to take for as long as you're Alpha but the second the real one steps forward it becomes his, not yours."

He smiled at me.

"What?" I asked, unable to stop the smile that was spreading across my face.

"I think we've just found our first common ground," he told me.

I laughed, "You sound awfully proud of your self."

He grinned at me, "It means I'm one step closer to you."

The smile instantly wiped off my face.

"I'm sorry," he mumbled, his smile gone too. "I shouldn't have said that."

I shook my head, "I guess I'll just have to get used to your advances."

He opened his mouth, probably to agree with me but was interrupted.

"Bells?" Dad's voice called. "You home?"

"Yeah Dad," I called back. "I'm in the kitchen!"

He walked in and spotted Sam, "I had a feeling I'd find you here."

Sam laughed, "You _did_ give me a key."

"I know," Dad muttered. "Still don't know if it was a smart decision."

I giggled quietly to myself, causing them both to look at me but I kept my eyes on the oven as I, finally, put the lasagna in.

"You planning to stay for dinner, Sam?" Dad asked.

"Sure," he said. "As long as Bella doesn't mind."

I sighed as I turned to face them, "I don't care. Do whatever you want."

He smiled and dripped his head slightly, "Thank you."

I rolled my eyes and left the room to answer the phone that had just begun ringing.

"Hello?" I asked into the phone.

"Bells?" Uncle Billy's voice came over the phone.

"Oh hey Uncle Billy," I greeted him cheerfully. "Do you want to speak to Dad?"

"No," he told me. "I actually wanted to speak to both you and Sam."

"What about?" I asked curiously.

"I wanted to tell you that Rachel is home from college," he told me.

"Really?" I asked excitedly. "That's great! Can I come over and see her?"

"Yes," he agreed. "Is Sam with you?"

"Yes," I told him. "Why?"

"Can you bring him with you?" he asked. "We need to explain the whole werewolf thing to her."

"I thought that no one else could know unless they were part of it themselves," I said confused.

"They can't," he agreed before sighing. "But Paul was here when she arrived home. He's imprinted on her."

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**Longest chapter I have ever written I think and that includes in my other three stories!**

**I know it may seem a little weird to you that four guys are calling Jake sexiest because he said the whole male thing**_**but**_**it's only because they think that Bella is the rightful tribal chief and think it's wrong to say she can't be**_**just**_**because she's a girl and I really hope that this chapter didn't offend anyone - if it did, that was not my intention.**

**Anyway, thanks for reading and please leave a review,**

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	6. As Much As Sam Loves You

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**I want to dedicate this chapter to a really amazing friend of mine. Her name is Rosie but on Fanfic her penname is Onlyloveisforever. She helped me**_**heaps**_**in this chapter and I owe her big time for it :D Love you Rosie!**

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As Much as Sam Loves You

_"They can't," he agreed before sighing. "But Paul was here when she arrived home. He's imprinted on her."_

My pause was brief, "Oh."

"Yeah," he said, sounding slightly unhappy. "So would you, Charlie and Sam be able to come over here?"

"I'll get them both and we'll be over as quick as we can," I promised him before we both hung up.

"Dad, Sam," I called as I walked back into the kitchen where they were still talking, stopping Sam midsentence as they both turned to look at me.

"Yeah," Dad asked as he took in the worried look on my face.

"We have to go next door to Uncle Billy's," I told them as I went to grab my shoes from the living room where I'd left them when I came in from school.

"Why?" Sam asked as he followed me, Dad close behind him.

"Paul went and imprinted," I told them, sighing.

I wasn't looking at them but I could almost feel the shocked glance they threw each other.

"On who?" Dad asked curiously.

"Rachel," I told him, finally turning around to face them.

Dad looked bewildered, "I thought Rachel was still out of town for college."

I shrugged, "She decided to come home for a short visit. Paul was apparently over there when she arrived and … well you know the rest."

Dad shook him head, slight amusement on his face, "I'm sure Billy is extremely happy."

"Yeah," I sighed. "Not so much."

"Come on then," Dad said, walking out the front door with both Sam and I right behind him, following him next door and into Uncle Billy's house. Dad didn't even knock as he opened the house, a habit from so many years of brotherhood.

"Billy?" Dad called.

"In the living room," I heard Uncle Billy's voice call back.

We walked in to the living room and I was instantly tackled into a hug, "Bella!"

"Wow," I laughed as I hugged my cousin. "I see you missed me."

"You have no idea," she smiled as she pulled back to look at me. "Wow, look how beautiful you've gotten."

I rolled my eyes at her before glancing over her head to notice Paul sitting on the couch next to Billy, his eyes trained on Rachel's every move. I subtly glanced back over my own shoulder and saw the way Sam's eyes were the same – trained on me.

"And who's this?" Rachel asked, having noticed where my gaze went, maybe I hadn't been so subtle after all.

He smiled politely at her and held out a hand for her to shake, "Sam Uley."

"Ahh, yes," she said, shaking his hand and studying him carefully. "Aren't you the guy who disappeared from college two years ago only to suddenly reappear here three weeks later?"

Sam released her hand and his face seemed to harden slightly but he nodded politely in response.

I turned to him and begun to ask, "When did-"

Dad cut me off, "I believe we have something to discuss."

I felt a slight tingle of anger about being cut off that seemed oddly unnatural to me but quickly pushed it down – now probably wasn't the best time to ask that.

"Uncle Charlie," Rachel exclaimed, as though she only just noticed his presence, before giving him a hug. "It's good to see you again."

He smiled down at her, "You too, Rachel."

Billy cleared his throat and we all turned to him, "Why don't you all take a seat."

After we all sat down and Dad prepared to start talking, Jake came strolling in through the front door and paused when he saw us.

"Jake!" Rachel yelled, jumping up to hug her younger brother.

"Rach?" he asked in surprise as his large arms wrapped around her. "What are you doing home?"

"I've come home to see Bella," she smiled at me over her shoulder. "I haven't seen my little cousin in four years and now that I finally have the chance, I'm taking it."

He looked up at us then and raised his eyebrows at us all, "And what's with the little gathering?"

Sam, Paul, Uncle Billy and Dad all glanced away from his gaze at the exact same time, looking like they couldn't bring themselves to tell him. I was the only one who stayed looking at him and his eyes instantly locked with mine.

"Why don't you and I go for a walk?" I asked him pleasantly, standing up. "We'll let Rach catch up with Uncle Billy and Dad with out having you and me around as a distraction."

Before anyone could respond, I grabbed a hold of Jake's forearm and pulled him back out the front door and towards First Beach. I knew perfectly well that, if he'd wanted to, he could have stopped me but I was glad when he just followed.

"What's going on?" he asked finally when we'd sat back down on the very same piece of driftwood we'd sat on the day before.

I sighed, "I don't know if I should be the one to tell you Jake."

"Please," he practically begged. "Just spit it out and tell me."

I hesitated, anticipating his reaction, "Paul imprinted on Rachel."

Jake sat there, staring at me for a moment. For a split second, he was motionless – and then suddenly he was standing, shaking all over.

"What is this?" He yelled. "It's supposed to be _rare!_And then suddenly, everyone's finding their freaking soul mate! All my pack brothers might just become my real brothers or cousins or whatever and then there's me – all alone and I have to wonder if I'll be the only one who doesn't imprint. Except I don't know, maybe I _will_imprint! Maybe I'll ditch some girl I've been dating and turn into a sappy, hopeless romantic who doesn't feel like a real person unless I'm near _her_."

I stared at him, my mouth gaping.

I was about to tell him to calm down when the tremors rolling through him started to cease. He sat back down next to me, his face creased. Moments ago, he had surprised me with his fierceness; now he was triggering my maternal side, looking like an upset child.

"You know what the kicker is?" he asked, softer now.

He cleared his throat gruffly.

"It's that, even though I don't want to be that guy, I do ... I want the girl. I look at Jared, Seth, Quil and now Sam and Paul, see the way they look at their imprints... and though the outside of me wants to puke, the inside is _so_jealous. I want to love someone as much as Sam loves you. I want to have that peace, that joy."

I put my hand on his shoulder in sympathy, wishing I could soothe him. I was also focusing on one thing in particular he had said- _I want to love someone as much as Sam loves you_. Putting it like that, it made it seem so real. Suddenly, this guy I didn't even know _loved_ me.

And, naturally, Jake wanted it for himself.

"Ugh." He groaned, shaking me from my thoughts. "My freakingsister. I'm gonna _kill_Paul."

I couldn't stop the snicker that escaped my lips.

He turned to glare at me, but I could see the slight amusement behind it, before he sighed, "I take it that Dad and Uncle Charlie are telling her how her own brother and father are giant fur balls?"

I grinned at him in amusement, glad that he had calmed down and seemed to be okay with it now, "Giant fur balls?"

"Yeah," he said, looking out at the ocean. "It sounds weird but it's better than, 'Oh, hey just thought I should let you know – your brother and father turn into giant dogs'."

I stared at him in silence and he slowly turned to face me. The second our eyes met, we both grinned at the weirdness of our lives.

"Come on," I said softly, standing up. "If Rachel's reaction is anything like mine, she'll want to get as far away from Paul as quickly as possible and I'd be glad to help."

Jake smiled at me, "If I didn't know any better, I would say you were anxious to get back to Sam."

I rolled my eyes at him and began walking back towards the house. He followed me quickly but didn't mention what he just said. When we arrived back, Sam came out to meet us and went to stop Jake from going inside.

"Jake-" he started but it wasn't him who cut him off. It was me.

"Let him go Sam," I spoke softly.

Sam hesitated, his eyes flashing to me but I nodded once and he let him past him and into the house.

"Are you sure that was a good idea?" he asked me, as I walked towards him and we both turned towards the back door.

"Yes," I told him honestly. "He's already let his emotions out."

He suddenly whirled around to face me, looking panicked, "He didn't hurt you did he?"

Anyone else and I would have laughed at them for asking me such a thing – but this was Sam and I was beginning to understand just how much I really did mean to him and that my safety was one of his first priorities.

"No," I told him, smiling up at him. "I'm fine."

He smiled in relief.

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	7. Bloodsuckers

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Bloodsuckers

It had been several days now since my arrival in La Push and things were still as confusing as ever. Sam spent every night at dinner over at our house, on Dad's wishes apparently. Of course, he'd been thinking about my cooking while in wolf form, so now all the guys came over even more regularly to be fed. To be honest, I wasn't complaining – I actually really enjoyed it.

Then, there was the whole Paul and Rach imprint thing. She'd been a little more accepting of the situation then I had. In fact, she and Paul had been practically joined at the hip since she'd discovered he was a 'giant fur ball' as Jake put it. She hadn't even called them crazy or anything, she'd just said she always had a hunch that the legends were true because Uncle Billy and Charlie had always been so superstitious and had known there had to be a reason for it.

I'd spoken to her briefly about it after wards and she'd just said that if what they were saying was true, which she knew it was, she was willing to give Paul a chance – even if she _had_ only just met him. From the look in her eye, it was hard to believe that the imprinting connection didn't work both ways. They'd already been on their first date and had their first kiss and I'd had to stay up listening to Rach gush about how great he was for hours afterwards.

As far as I knew, Jake hadn't reacted too badly either. He'd taken Paul aside and threatened him, but other then that he seemed to accept that he couldn't change what had happened. The only clue that I ever got that maybe he wasn't quite so okay with it was the looks he shot them when they got too close or started acting like a couple. Though, he seemed to do that towards all the imprints and my mind always flashed back to the almost desperate Jake I'd seen on the Beach – the one that I was certain no one else had ever seen.

I really did hope that he one day finds his soul mate.

"Ms. Black?" a voice snapped me out of my daze and I turned back towards the teacher. "Stop staring out the window and pay attention to my lesson."

Someone next to me snickered and I turned my gaze and raised my eye brows at Kim, who sat next to me.

"Day dreaming?" she asked, giggling.

I scowled, "Not about who you think."

She seemed surprised by this, "You mean there's someone else?"

I looked up at the ceiling and took a few deep breaths to calm down the sudden surge of annoyance that was becoming more frequent, "No."

"Then what were you day dreaming about?" she asked as the bell rung and we stood up to head to lunch.

"I was just thinking about how quickly Paul and Rach seem to be moving," I shrugged.

She sighed, "Does it really matter as long as he loves her?"

"Yes," I told her truthfully. "She'd never even met him before a few days ago."

"Not this again," she groaned.

I felt another set of weird emotions sweep through me but again pushed them down, "You knew Jared before he imprinted on you. You'd known each other since you were kids; the day I _met_ Sam he suddenly loved me."

"So this _is_ about Sam," she pointed out as we sat down at our lunch table.

I rolled my eyes and groaned in annoyance but didn't respond.

"What's about Sam?" Jared asked as he kissed his girlfriend on the cheek.

"Bella was day dreaming in class," Kim said, a mischievous grin on her face.

"I told you before that it had nothing to do with Sam," I reminded her. "_You_ were the one who made that conversation suddenly about Sam."

"You're the one who brought him up," she pointed out.

"You're the one who -" I was abruptly cut off.

"Sorry I asked," Jared said, throwing his arms up in surrender.

"Jared," Embry suddenly spoke behind me, surprising both me and Kim but it was obvious Jared had heard – or smelt, I wasn't entirely sure quite how good their scenes were – him.

"Yeah?" Jared asked, seeing the urgent look on his face.

"Sam just called Jake," Embry told him hurriedly. "He wants all of us to meet him at the Treaty line. Now."

Jared's eyes widened, and Kim and I shared a glance in fear, before he quickly jumped up.

"Don't either of you so much as leave the school building," Jared ordered us before both of them hurried out the door of the cafeteria.

"Exactly how bad is it if their risking leaving school?" I asked Kim quietly, still staring at the door they'd left through.

"They've only ever done it once before," she answered me quietly. "And that was when a coven of _them_ arrived in Folks."

I shivered slightly, knowing from the legends exactly who _they_ were.

The Cold Ones.

_Bloodsuckers._

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	8. The Moment Everything Began to Change

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**Here's the next chapter and I hope you all enjoy it.**

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_**Last Chapter:**_

_I shivered slightly, knowing from the legends exactly who_they_were._

_The Cold Ones._

_Bloodsuckers._

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The Moment Everything Began to Change

"Will they be alright?" I asked softly, feeling more worried then I was willing to admit.

"They should be," Kim murmured softly to me.

For years later, I would argue that that was the moment that everything began to change.

"Hey Bella," the slightly familiar voice of Nate greeted as he stepped up and I noticed Kim stiffen out of the corner of my eye.

I turned to smile politely at him and his three friends, "Hey Nate. Can I help you with something?"

"Yes," he answered simply. "You can."

I looked at him in confusion, "What is it?"

"You can help me with getting rid of _Uley_," again, the name was spat viciously.

My confused look abruptly changed into a full out glare so quickly that it surprised even me, "I don't have a problem with Sam. The only person I have a problem with right now is _you_. Leave Sam alone!"

There was silence as everyone stared at me in surprise, not expecting the sudden change in emotion before, "Bella?"

My name was practically whispered and I whirled around to face Kim, "Yes?"

"Are – are you alright?"

I blinked, twice before I began to finally calm down, "I'm fine."

"I can't _believe_ you," Nate seemed to have gotten his courage back. "My family has been pushing for years to get you to become Chief and you don't even want it. Instead, you'd gladly hand us over to a man who doesn't even know what he's doing!"

I was up, in his face and angry faster then I thought possible, "Take that back!"

It seemed that the entire cafeteria was now staring at us and Nate looked afraid of me but his voice was steady when he spoke, "No."

I could feel myself begin to shake in anger and my vision blurred slightly but I never did get to attack him as much as I'd wanted to.

"Ms. Black, Mr. Gale, what is going on here?" the voice of the teacher who'd previously caught me day dreaming, Mr. Duncan, demanded.

My anger drained away as I turned to face him when I realized I was in trouble. Even so, I had to force myself to stop shacking.

It was Nate who answered, "Nothing, sir."

"It doesn't look like nothing to me," Mr. Duncan stated simply, his eyes darting between us.

"We were having a discussion about who would become the next Chief," I answered at last when no one else spoke.

"It didn't look like simply a discussion," the teacher said, his suspicion not yet gone.

"Gale insulted Sam Uley, sir," Kim spoke up suddenly, using Nate's last name as she did so.

Mr. Duncan's eyes swiveled to her before turning back to Nate, "Is that true Mr. Gale?"

Nate glared at Kim and I as he answered, "I was merely saying I didn't want him as Chief."

Kim grabbed my arm when I stepped forward to punch him, effectively stopping me from doing so but she quickly let go and gasped.

"Bella!" she exclaimed in shock. "You're burning up!"

My eyes widened as I turned to face her, "Burning up as in sick, burning up or burning up as in _that_ burning up?"

Her shocked and slightly panicked eyes locked with mine and she didn't need to answer as I already knew.

"Ms. Black," Mr. Duncan spoke. "If you are burning up, maybe you should be visiting the nurse."

"I'm fine," I practically growled at him before my eyes widened and my hand flew to my mouth.

Everyone within hearing distance stared at me in shock.

"Maybe I should go see the nurse," I muttered hurriedly before turning and almost running towards the front office, Kim hot on my tail.

I stopped her just before we reached the building though and looked at her, "I'm not going to be responsible for you leaving the school when Jared clearly doesn't want you to do so. Please, Kim, you need to stay."

She nodded quickly and watched me walk inside.

"Hello, Ms. Black," the lady greeted me. "How can I help you?"

"I'm not feeling well," I told her. "I'm here to tell you that I'm going home."

She nodded, "Alright, I hope you feel better soon."

I smiled at her before heading out to the car I'd recently purchased since arriving in La Push. Quickly getting in, I drove towards the police station. When I arrived, I hurried into the building and up to the front desk.

"I need to see my father," I told the sectary.

Glancing up and seeing it was me, she nodded and picked up the phone.

"Chief Swan?" she asked. "Your daughter is here to see you."

She hung up moments later just as dad came walking into the room.

"Bella?" he asked, his face worried. "What are you doing here?"

It was obvious that he, too, knew about the bloodsuckers being near.

"Something's going on with me," I told him quietly. "I don't feel right."

He stared at me curiously before reaching out and touching my forehead, "Bella, I don't see what's wrong. You're forehead is perfectly normal temp-"

Abruptly he stopped talking and stared at me in shock before whispering, "Your forehead's not cold."

I nodded.

"Do you realize what this might mean?" he asked in the same whispered voice.

I nodded, my face showing my fear, "It means I'm the missing Alpha. I'm a werewolf."

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**Thanks all for reading and reviewing,**

**Twilight lover**


	9. First Phase

**Hey everyone!**

**I reached 200 reviews :D YAY! Thanks everyone!**

**I also want to say a huge thank you to all of my wonderful reviewers who showed support for my story with the encouraging remarks that everyone sent after my last authors note. As to the reason behind the last author's note, I have spoken to the other author and she has taken down the chapters that were similar to mine.**

**I know I probably could have handled the situation a little better and maybe shouldn't have done it in such an open way but I was angry and I did the only thing I thought I could at the time.**

**Again, I want to thank everyone for the help and support and to do it, I've written this chapter and posted it rather quickly without the usual long wait I like to leave after cliff hangers :D**

**Also, for anyone who has read it, you will notice that the way I described Bella's first phase is ****loosely based around what Stephanie Meyer says about the feelings of Jake's first change as I wanted to get the thoughts and feelings right.**

**Lastly, for all those people who keep saying that I've got heaps of spelling mistakes, you have to remember that I'm Australian and that we spell some things differently here.**

**So, here it is!**

* * *

_**Last Chapter**__:_

_I nodded, my face showing my fear, "It means I'm the missing Alpha. I'm a werewolf."_

_

* * *

_

First Phase

Dad let out a breath and closed his eyes as though up until I'd spoken, he hadn't been willing to even fully consider it.

"Dad?" I asked softly as I began to feel like there were small needles pricking softly against my skin in a rather sharp sensation. I vaguely realised that it felt like a full body version of pins and needles.

Dad finally opened his eyes to look at me and I noticed that they were both sad and proud. If I was honest with myself, I could understand both emotions, sad that I was changing into something that I'd have to deal with for the rest of my life when I shouldn't of even had to _consider_ such an event, and proud that his only child was about to take up the roll of Alpha, knowing that the Tribal Chief would continue down the direct family line.

However, in the current state that I was in, it just made a rush of anger flow through my body and the slight pricking sensation began to get worse and more painful.

Noticing that I seemed uncomfortable, Dad quickly spoke, "Maybe we should get you out into the woods."

I nodded and watched silently as he told his secretary that he was going out for a little bit, before following him out of the double doors of the police department and into the woods. For a few moments in the woods, I simply stared at the canopy, breathing deeply. Finally, I turned around to face my dad.

That was what finally set me off. He was looking at me expectantly, as though he expected something incredible to happen and, suddenly, I felt hot all over and was shaking violently with rage. I don't remember ever being so angry and yet a small part of me told me that I was overreacting; either way I couldn't stop it.

Suddenly, as the shaking reached its worst, I felt as though I was going to explode. I felt my bones seemingly brake and re-arrange themselves; it felt like my skin was ripping apart.

I stared at my father's shocked face for several long moments as he stared back at me before I looked down. I found exactly what I'd been expecting: two paws instead of hands. It wasn't _that_ that surprised me, though. It was the fact that every inch of my new wolf body that I could see, was pure white.

"Bells," my dad breathed in awe, catching my attention. "Are – are you alright?"

I tried to speak but gave up when all that came out was a loud barking sound and, instead, nodded my head curtly.

He seemed to sag in relief, "Good. I wonder where Sam and the rest of the pack are."

As if hearing what Dad had said, a slightly familiar voice echoed in my head as though it was my own thought process, '_Did you guys hear that?'_

_'Yeah,'_ Another familiar voice followed after the first. _'It sounds like a new guy, but who's left to phase?'_

_'No one,' _I heard my favourite cousin's voice speak next. _'Who are you?'_

I knew then, that he was talking to me.

_'Hey Jake,'_ I responded softly, anticipating their reaction.

_'Bella???'_ nine voices echoes at once through my new wolf formed head in shock.

_'Hey guys,'_ I thought as calmly as I could at a moment like this.

_'Bella,'_ Sam's thoughts reached me along with several images of the way he saw me, causing me to suck in a sharp breath of air. The me I was viewing in his thoughts _glowed_ and was a lot more beautiful then I'd ever imagined myself. '_You phased.'_

_'Well that explains our missing Alpha,'_ Jake mused, pointedly ignoring the thoughts running through Sam's mind about me.

Paul, however, wasn't ignoring them and instead drew attention to them by faking a gag.

_'Paul,'_ I warned sharply in annoyance and he shut up instantly.

_'Where are you, Bells?'_ Jake asked me quickly.

I simply did the instinctual thing - I threw my head back and howled as loud as I could. When I finally stopped and looked down, I could faintly hear nine sets of paws running in my direction, and it was then I noticed that my Dad was still stood in front of me, watching me.

"Is that them?" he asked, having heard the pack moving at the same time as I did.

I nodded my head.

"I've got to get back to the station," he murmured softly as he reached out to pat my newly formed muzzle. "Listen to what Sam and Jake tell you."

I nodded and watched as he disappeared into the trees before lying down on the floor of the woods. It was only moments later that the pack arrived in the clearing.

I looked up at them, ready to listen to what they had to say, when I caught sight of the familiar horse-sized wolf in front of me. This time, however, the midnight black wolf was glowing to me in the same way I did to Sam.

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**MWHAHAHA! *evil grin***

**Wow, I really do love my cliff hangers, don't I?**

**I hope you all enjoyed this latest chapter and I want to thank arwenjanelilylyra for beta reading it :D**

**Reviewing makes me write faster,**

**Twilight Lover**


	10. As You Wish, Alpha

**Hehe :D**

**Hey everyone!**

**I know you've all been waiting patiently for this chapter and I decided not to torture you all any longer! I promise to lay off the cliff hangers for a while in order to not annoy you all too much.**

**I know I've said this before but I'm going to say it again anyways so that maybe people will register it and use it as a way of finding out answers to your questions and dates for chapters to be posted instead of people hounding me to hurry up. So, if you want to see answers to your questions or see dates of next posts for any of my stories: visit twilightloverforeverandever (dot) blogspot (dot) com. For those of you that I'm sure will ask, no, it does not mean that I will be posting this story on my blog. However, there is a chance people who read it will be able to view sneak peeks and the such before the chapters come out :D**

**Thanks again to my fabulous beta reader for editing this chapter!**

**I hope you all enjoy this chapter!**

* * *

_**Last Chapter:**_

_I looked up at them, ready to listen to what they had to say, when I caught sight of the familiar horse-sized wolf in front of me. This time, however, the midnight black wolf was glowing to me in the same way I did to Sam._

* * *

As you Wish, Alpha

My eyes slowly travelled up the wolf-like body and met the eyes of the giant wolf. In that moment, my whole world shifted. The cables that connected me to the earth snapped and broke away. Then, stronger, more permanent cables reattached me to this earth. This time, however, rather then being connected to nature, they connected to Sam. _He_ was what held me to the earth: he was my very reason for living.

As the images of my world shifting passed through my thoughts, a wolfish smile crossed Sam's face before he threw his head back and let out a triumphant howl. At the same time, several chuckles echoed through the rest of the pack in amusement.

I heard Jake's amused chuckles above the rest, '_Now you won't be able to stay away from him, even if you wanted to.'_

I glanced in the direction the thoughts had come from and found a russet-brown wolf staring back at me.

'_Jake?'_I asked.

His giant wolf mouth opened and a long tongue rolled out. I stared at him curiously for a second, before his huge pink tongue suddenly licked the side of my face.

I pulled a face as I stepped away from him and yelped_, 'Ew, Jake. Gross!'_

He, along with the others, just gave a wolf-like laugh of amusement. The laughter stopped, though, when Sam let out an annoyed growl at the rest of them. I glanced back at him as he slowly walked towards me.

'_How are you feeling?'_ he asked as he stepped closer to me, stopping a few feet away.

'_I feel fine,'_ I answered honestly, unable to lie to what I already knew for certain was my imprint.

His large head nodded as he moved closer still. He stepped up beside me before bending his head and rubbing his black nose along the side of my muzzle, sniffing me.

'_You're beautiful,'_ he told me before a thought slipped out that he'd been unable to hide from us_. 'And you smell amazing.'_

I giggled as I heard the others groan.

'_New rule,'_ Jake said, pulling a face. '_You two are not allowed with in two feet of each other when there are others phased.'_

Sam growled angrily at him but I quickly stopped him by nudging him with my nose, _'This is going to be bad enough for them having to share their thoughts with a girl. If they don't want us to be within two feet with each other while there around, then we won't be.'_

Sam sighed before turning fully to face me and lying down on his stomach, with his head rested on his paws, _'As you wish, Alpha.'_

I watched from Sam's thoughts as it seemed as though a huge weight had been lifted off his shoulders and the sense of authority he always felt, left him and instantly landed on me. I also noticed that as it landed on me, a sense of rightness and relief passed through us all. We all knew in that moment that the Alpha position was rightfully mine.

Even so, I frowned down at Sam, _'I hadn't been expecting to have to take up the roll straight away.'_

Sam shook his head as our eyes locked and we stared at each other as though we were the only two people in existence, '_You once told me that should the Alpha appear, you thought it was theirs to take and that I should hand it over. I have done what will make my imprint happy.'_

I smiled softly at him, _'Thank you.'_

'_Bells,'_Jake spoke_. 'Before we do anything else, you need to choose a Beta and a Gamma.'_

I stared at him as though he had grown a second head, _'What kind of question is that? You'll be my Beta, Jake.'_

He grinned at me as a slightly smaller sense of authority surrounded him. From the thoughts of the others, I knew that he'd be able to give commands to everyone but me, unless it directly conflicted with an order I'd already given.

'_But what about a Gamma?'_Jared asked.

I glanced at Sam and stared at him as he had risen off the forest floor before glancing around at the others.

'_I don't want it to seem as though I chose him simply because he's my imprint,'_ the thought involuntarily ran through the pack mind_. 'I want it to be obvious that I chose him due to the experience of the past few years.'_

Embry smiled across at me as my eyes landed on him, _'We understand; even if he had not been your imprint, when the new Alpha came we had expected that Sam would become Gamma.'_

I smiled at him before turning back to my imprint, _'You will be my Gamma, Sam, as well as my mate.'_

He smiled at me as an even smaller sense of authority surrounded him than had Jake.

Sam abruptly stopped smiling and cursed_, 'We forgot about the bloodsuckers when we heard you phase.'_

Watching as flash after flash of memory passed through the pack mind, I quickly came to a decision, knowing what the best decision at the moment was.

'_Lead the way,'_ I told Sam and Jake. _'I need more experience before I lead you all into this.'_

Sam nodded before he abruptly went back into Alpha mode, _'Seth, Brady, Collin, you three are to return to the Res and protect them should a leech come from that direction. The rest of you, we need to head towards the treaty line. The Cullens have called a meeting.'_

Used to such commands, the three boys specifically mentioned, did as they were told as the rest of us followed Sam towards the treaty line.

'_Bella,'_Sam's thoughts reached me as we ran_. 'I know you're Alpha and all, and I know that you're going to be more powerful then any of us but please be careful. I'm going to be distracted enough as it is with you even with in 100 yards of the bloodsuckers.'_

'_I'll be careful.'_ I promised him before we both snapped our attention back to running through the trees that were speeding by.

As we drew closer and closer to the treaty line, a horrible smell hit my nose. Well, I realised after a short moment, it wasn't actually me that smelt it – it was Quil, the one with the best nose, who smelt it and it passed through the mind link. Moments later, Paul, the one with the best hearing, announced that he could hear murmurs coming from them as the low buzz of conversation reached us through him.

'_Get into formation,'_ Sam ordered as we approached. _'I'm going to phase back so that I can talk with them. I want Jake on my right and Bella on my left.'_

Jake and I both nodded as Sam stopped running in order to phase, while the rest began to form a V shape facing towards where we could now all smell and hear the leeches. Sam appeared only a moment later, now in human form and stepped between Jake and me.

He paused for a moment to run a hand through my white fur, causing me to admit a pure like sound. He smiled and placed a kiss on my ear before turning expressionless and walking through the trees. We all followed him into the clearing and instantly saw the leeches who'd called this meeting.

There was a blond haired male and a caramel haired female who looked like the eldest of the group, the doctor and his wife. A tall blonde female and a large male, who looked extraordinarily like a body builder, stood to their left, while a copper haired male stood to their right. Another blonde male and a short, black haired female stood beside the copper-haired one. They all had strange amber eyes.

"What have you called us here for, Vampire?" Sam demanded of them.

The copper-haired one had a confused look on his face as the doctor turned to glance at him. He shook his head minutely at the doctor with a frown on his face. With an equally confused expression, the doctor turned back to us.

"I'm Carlisle," the doctor stated as he stepped forward. "This is my wife Esme and my children, Edward, Alice, Jasper, Emmett and Rosalie."

He gestured to each of them in turn.

Sam's eyebrow rose at the same time as many of the wolves made disgusted sounds in the back of their throats.

'_As if we care,'_Paul's thoughts sneered.

'_Filthy bloodsuckers_,' Jake snarled.

'_Leeches shouldn't have names,'_ Quil thought_. 'They're not human, they don't deserve them!'_

'_Silence!'_ I barked out angrily but, to those outside the pack mind, it came out as simply a bark.

Sam glanced at me quickly with a smile as the pack instantly quietened down, before turning back at the leeches. The bloodsuckers glanced between us in confusion before Sam spoke.

"I do not see why you have called us here," Sam stated simply to 'Carlisle'.

"My apologies," Carlisle stated quickly. "We have called you here to warn you."

"Warn us?" Sam asked, eyeing him critically.

"We will be having visitors in a few days," Carlisle told us.

Several of the wolves growled deeply but another barked command of _'Silence!'_ quickly cut it short. Sam pretended not to have noticed.

"Do they follow your diet?" Sam demanded.

"They do," Carlisle stated, eyeing him as though he was going to explode into a giant wolf any second now.

I growled at him and all the bloodsuckers turned to look at me.

'_Black,'_ Sam muttered and I instantly stopped to stare at him in surprise for having called me by my last name.

'_He's making sure not to give away your full identity,'_ Jake's thoughts told me.

The leeches, however, had had a reaction to my last name. They obviously recognised it from the first time they'd been here and were eyeing me cautiously.

Sam, however, quickly distracted them again.

"The same rules apply for them as you," he stared the bloodsuckers down. "If they simply _bite_a human or set a toe on our side of the line, the treaty is over and we will declare war."

Carlisle nodded, "We shall tell them such and there shall not be a problem."

"There had better not," Sam snarled in a tone very unlike himself.

Several of the leeches snarled in return, causing most of the pack to copy.

'_Silence!'_ I barked out again at the same time as the lead bloodsucker warned them to calm down.

I took a step forward and nudged Sam with my muzzle when he continued to glare and sneer at them. He instantly stopped and turned to look at me. I nodded my head towards the woods and he instantly nodded, getting my thoughts before turning back to the leaches.

"We must be going," Sam stated, back to his image of calm. "Keep your 'visitors' under control."

With that, he turned and walked back into the woods, the pack following after them. I eyed the Cullens for one more moment as they stared back at me curiously, but also cautiously, before I spun on my heel and ran with the rest of the pack, back to La Push.

* * *

**Tell what you all thought when you review!**

**The first encounter with the Cullens and the pack quite obviously don't like them. Who are the Cullen's visitors?**

**Last chapter I received 48 reviews, think we could make it 50 for this chapter by the time I post the next chapter?**

**Twilightlover**


	11. The Perfect Couple

**Hey there my amazing readers!**

**I've just reached 300 reviews, so thank you all very much for putting up with the wait. Do you have any idea_ how long_ the reviews sat on 299????**

**Also, to the person who practically begged me not to make Bella fall for Edward, you have nothing to fear, such a thing is never going to happen in this story. As for Edward falling for Bella… well, we'll see!**

**I want to say a huge thank you to one of my best friends on FF, Onlyloveisforever for all the help she gave me with ideas and certain aspects of this chapter and for putting up with my rather insistent PMs and emails that I've sent her lately when she really should be sitting back and enjoying her Easter Holidays. You should all check out her story, 'Angel', it's a Edward/Bella story but it is a rather good one! Enjoy the coolness of night, kitten :D :D**

**Here's the next chapter, tell me what you think when you review.**

* * *

_**Last Chapter:**_

_"We must be going," Sam stated, back to his image of calm. "Keep your 'visitors' under control."_

_With that, he turned and walked back into the woods, the pack following after them. I eyed the Cullens for one more moment as they stared back at me curiously, but also cautiously, before I spun on my heel and ran with the rest of the pack, back to La Push._

* * *

The Perfect Couple

"Are you alright?" Kim demanded as soon as she walked through the door into my house. We'd gotten back to the edge of the La Push forest before Sam had shown me how to phase back. For some reason, when I'd found my self naked after phasing back, I hadn't had the slightest of problems with Sam being there and I had a feeling it was an after effect of the imprint. At first that idea didn't make sense at all – shouldn't these new... feelings make me _shyer_? But then I realised, that was one of the differences between imprinting and human love – it was the most honest form of _natural_, and so I was entirely comfortable with him seeing me like that. The rest of the boys, however, I'd made sure were well out of sight.

After I'd phased back, we'd all returned to my house, as it was the Chief's house and where the boys usually hung out or had meetings. Jared had left a few minutes ago to pick up Kim and had only just returned. Paul had gone to get Rachel from Port Angeles where she was currently working in a bookstore but was yet to return.

"I'm fine," I smiled at her.

One of her eyebrows rose in question, "And what happened?"

I smiled slightly at her, "Oh, I went wolf."

Her mouth fell open slightly, "When you started heating up – I mean – I thought…I didn't realize you were actually going to phase."

I made a sound in the back of my throat, "Not exactly something I was planning on having to worry about either but I'll get used to it."

After a moment of wide-eyed gazing, and a few shakes of her head, Kim smiled at me, looking relieved, before she took a seat in Jared's lap, "You look different."

"I do?" I asked curiously.

She nodded and smiled at me, "You're taller and have a lot more muscles. It's the werewolf gene kicking in."

"Ah," was my great response as I promised myself to have a look at myself in the mirror later.

"What about the bloodsuckers?" Kim asked after a pause. "What happened?"

I pulled a face and wrinkled my nose at the remembrance of the horrid smell, "It was just the Cullens telling us that they've got visitors coming and that we're not allowed to attack them."

She looked at me slightly confusedly for a moment.

"What?" I asked.

She glanced over at Sam before looking back at me, "You're Alpha now."

"How'd you know?" I asked curiously.

She shrugged, "It's just it's usually Sam who gives those kinds of reports."

"Ah," I murmured. The mention of Sam made me smile, but then I realised I had no real reason to be smiling. I was just sitting there grinning like an idiot. I bit my lip, glancing up at him. The way he stared at me... I found it hard to pull my gaze from his.

I quickly glanced away when the front door opened and Rachel walked in, her hand linked with Paul's, both of them also grinning rather hugely. I smiled knowingly to myself, feeling strangely like I'd just joined a new club or something. The club of the imprinted...

"Hey guys," Rach greeted us with a grin.

We all gave similar greetings before I stood up with a slightly under control smile and walked towards the kitchen asking over my shoulder as I went, "Who's hungry?"

There was a rather enthusiastic response from the guys and, for the first time, I found myself agreeing with them. I had a feeling that I was going to develop their impressive appetite... Well, good thing I'd be doing all the running as well.

Pulling the flour off the top shelf of the cupboard, I turned around to find Sam standing in the doorway, leaning against the frame. The smile he wore instantly brought back the smile from before and I knew it to be another side effect of the imprint. I would do anything to see him happy.

"Need any help?" he asked me.

I studied him for a moment, scanning his bare, muscled chest, before smiling again and meeting his eyes, "Not really but I'd like the company."

He smiled at me and sauntered over to take up his position on the counter, where he always sat when he was watching me cook. I was just beginning to mix the batter together when I felt his hand reach out from behind me and softly take up a piece of my hair and twirl it around his finger.

I laughed at him, enjoying the tingles that thrilled me with his touch. "What are you doing?"

He grinned when he heard me laugh and stated as if it were obvious, "Observing your beauty."

I couldn't help the laugh that escaped, "Do you realize how corny you just sounded?"

"Yes," he admitted. "But it's true."

I placed the mixing bowl down on the bench and turned towards him, placing myself comfortably between his legs on the counter and tilting my head to the side as I studied him, "You're not half bad yourself."

He laughed in amusement before leaning down and placing a kiss on my forehead, "Thanks."

After enjoying this next bout of chills, I looked up at him seriously. He instantly turned serious as well, as I whispered softly, "I can't fight it any more. Even if I wanted to, I know I can't fight it. You're my world now."

He smiled slightly, "In a way, I'm glad. Though, it's sad that you had the choice taken away from you. I just don't know how this is going to turn out. The whole point of an imprint is that we be whatever our imprint wants to be. I mould to be whatever you need and you'll mould to be whatever I need. We'll be like the perfect couple."

"It's what we were created to be," I reminded him, enjoying how it all made sense to me now. "The perfect couple – soul mates."

He smiled and, slowly, both of us leaned in until our lips softly touched for a brief moment. When we pulled away, it was with smiles on our faces. It was the best first kiss I could have hoped for. It may not have lasted long but it was a kiss full of the love we both shared for our imprint and that was all that mattered.

* * *

"Bella," Dad spoke to me across the breakfast table the next morning. "We're having a bonfire tonight to welcome you to the pack and so that you can hear all of the tribal legends knowing that they're true for the first time. Also, the elders and the rest of the pack want to show their acceptance of you as Alpha and Chief."

"Oh... Cool." I smiled – after my parents splitting up, it was good to feel like a _valued_ part of something. I stood to place my bowl in the dishwasher before heading up stairs to grab my stuff for school.

"Are you driving to school today?" he asked curiously as I came back down.

I grinned at him over my shoulder, "Nope. Sam's taking me."

I ignored the smirk he sent my way as I walked out the door just as Sam's car pulled into the drive way and he got out. Cue the world going quiet and everything around him blurring into nothing, with him a bright point at the centre of my vision. I practically skipped up to him with another stupid grin on my face. He stood on the other side of the car door from me and leaned over it to place a kiss on my lips before I walked around to my side and climbed in. When he sat back and closed his door, he was also wearing an impressive grin.

"What?" I asked in amusement.

"I'm just thinking about the stories people are going to come up with about 'Sam's Cult' when they see me drop you off," he said as he pulled out of my drive way.

I chuckled, "As long as they know your mine, they can say whatever they want."

Sam laughed, "And that, Bella, is your wolf talking."

I rolled my eyes at him, "As if you weren't thinking the same thing."

"True," he admitted, shooting a grin in my direction.

I shook my head in amusement as he pulled into the parking lot.

I noticed several people, including Nate, Kyle, Reese and Jason, stop and turn to look at Sam's car in confusion and contempt as it came to a stop in the spot between Jake's Rabbit and Jared's truck. The other boys were standing around the two cars and turned to grin at us as we arrived.

Sam got out of his side of the car, walked round the front and to my door before I'd even fully had a chance to undo my seat belt. I rolled my eyes at him as he opened my door with a grin on his face and holding out a hand.

"Is this necessary?" I asked him as I placed a hand in the one he'd offered me.

"Yes," he answered as he helped me out of the car and closed the door behind me. Before I could react, he stood in front of me and had me trapped against the car door.

I raised an eyebrow at him, "Who's the one with a possessive wolf side?"

He grinned and lent down to kiss me soundly on the lips before saying, "I am."

I laughed as he took a step away from me and walked around to the driver's door and I pushed away from the car, half trailing after him – like magnetism or something.

"I'll be here to pick you up this afternoon," he called out to me as I slowly turned to walk towards the other guys.

"Sure, sure," I used my cousin's favourite phrase as I spoke to him over my shoulder.

He rolled his eyes at me but was grinning as he got back in the car and drove out of the parking lot.

"Hey Bells?" a voice spoke next to me.

"Hmm?" I was focussing on Sam's car as it drove away.

"Bells," Jake's voice had a clear smile in it, instantly catching my attention. "I hate to say I told you so."

A round of laughter followed the statement from the rest of the pack as I turned to playfully glare at him.

* * *

"You're dating Uley now?" a voice demanded from behind me on the cafeteria queue.

I turned slowly to face Nate, worried about my, as of yesterday, extremely short werewolf temper, "I am."

"What do you see in him?" Kyle asked as he pulled a face of disgust.

I opened my mouth to respond but quickly closed it and decided against dignifying such a question with an answer.

"How can you date the guy who's taking away your birth right?" Nate asked, shaking his head.

"Wait," I spoke suddenly. "You haven't heard yet?"

Nate blinked at me, "Heard what?"

"There was a council meeting last night," I told them as I finished collecting my food and paid. "They've set the future Tribal Chief position in stone."

They all visibly flinched.

"Was it Uley?" Nate demanded.

I smirked slightly, "No."

They all sagged slightly in relief.

"Who'd they choose then?" Reese asked me curiously.

"Me," I stated before I turned around to head towards the table the rest of my pack sat at.

"Bella," Nate called loudly, catching the attention of most of the room, and I turned to face him.

"What?" I asked.

"What changed their mind?" he asked. "Why have they suddenly decided that they'll allow a female Chief?"

I heard several shocked gasps around the room. Maybe news didn't travel as fast as I thought it did in such a small town.

I smiled slightly as I answered, "Sam said he thought it was mine to take and that he had no right to it. He bowed his head and handed the position over."

Nate's, along with several other people's, mouth hang open at the news that _Sam Uley_ would _bow his head_ to anyone. It was the ultimate show of surrender in Quileute tradition. If anyone ever bowed their head to someone it showed that they believed themselves below the other.

"He – he handed it over, just like that?" Nate asked, clearly shocked.

I nodded before giving a slight shrug, "He decided he didn't want it so he gave it to the person he thought should have it. He'll become an elder when he's older, just like his father before him, but he will be third in command of the tribe."

"Who'll be second?" Reese asked.

I smiled, "Jake will be."

Nate stared at me for a moment, "You don't act like the other members of Sam's cult."

I laughed and smirked at him, "That's because it's now _my_ 'cult' and what I say, goes."

Before he could come up with a response, I took my seat with the rest of the pack as they grinned at me hugely. I couldn't wait to see the look on Sam's face when he found out that he'd just been booted off the position of cult leader by the town gossips.

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When Sam arrived to pick me up after school, almost everyone was staring at us, watching to see if they could find any proof that said I did indeed have power of Sam amongst our small group.

"Hey Bells," he greeted me with a smile and a kiss on the lips.

"Hey Sam," I greeted as I chucked my school bag in his passenger seat before joining the rest of the pack who stood around the front of Jake's car. Sam followed behind me and leaned against Jake's bonnet before pulling me into him by the waist until I was leaning against him.

"What's this I hear about a bonfire tonight?" Embry questioned me suddenly, catching everyone's attention.

I nodded, "Dad said something about inducting me as the next Chief and Alpha as well as a retelling of the tribal legends for my benefit. I would also imagine that there will be plenty of food as well."

Paul laughed from next to us, "You know the way to any werewolf's heart, Bella. Feed them."

I grinned before glancing over my shoulder at Sam, "Is that how I won you? I feed you?"

I felt the vibrations run threw Sam's chest as he laughed in amusement, "Nah. Though, it helped."

"The imprints can come tonight, too, right Bells?" Seth asked.

I smiled at him and nodded before remembering, "That's right. I haven't met either yours or Quil's imprint yet."

Seth smiled, "Emily will be there tonight. I've already spoken to her parents."

I glanced at Quil with an eye brow raised before he answered, "Claire will be there too. I'm not sure if we mentioned it or not but Claire and Emily are sisters."

"Oh, that makes it slightly easier, then," I smiled at them both before I got curious. "Did their parents know before you told them?"

Both Quil and Seth nodded but it was Embry who answered, "Emily and Claire are my cousins. My mother told her sister when she found out about me so she already knew."

"I can't imagine having to tell the parents," Jared mused. "It was bad enough freaking out about Kim's reaction."

Kim rolled her eyes next to him, "And I didn't even call you crazy."

Both Sam and I made the same odd noise in the back of our throats at the memory of the first time we'd met.

Kim's eyes widened as she turned to stare at us like a deer caught in the headlights, "I didn't mean to –"

I cut her off with a smile and a small laugh, "I know."

She instantly relaxed.

"Come on," Sam said with a smile as he pushed off Jake's hood. "We have to get going."

I nodded and smiled at everyone, "We'll see you all tonight and don't be late or I'll assign extra patrols while those visitors are here."

There was a collect groan from the guys as Sam and I drove out of the parking lot.

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**When you all review, can you please tell me whether or not you want a retelling of the tribal legends or if you know them enough for me not to tell them? I'm planning to make a tally, so, if you don't tell me I might choose differently to what you want :D**

**I tried to make this chapter as long as I could as they've been rather short for a while so I hope this was to your satisfactions.**

**I realized something this chapter, I've been calling Brady, 'Brandy' since I started this story and I feel like an absolute idiot! I'll make sure to go back and fix that next time I get a chance.**

**The next chapter shall be the bonfire night :D**

**Check out my blog for sneak peeks and update dates and I promise not to wait for reviews this time, I'll update as soon as I've finished writing it.**

**Twilight lover**


	12. The Bonefire

**Hey everyone!**

**Here's the latest chapter. I'm very sorry that it took so long to write but we all know how busy life can be sometimes.**

**The next chapter will hopefully be out soon as I am currently on holidays. However, I will be going skiing on the 2****nd**** July (It is currently winter here in Aussie) where I will have no internet connection. I will be taking my computer so I should be able to write but there will be a week of no posting at least. I will be back on the 11****th**** and will hopefully be able to post another chapter soon.**

**Thanks to everyone for all the encouraging reviews :D I'm beginning to notice that a lot of people are telling my story is really neat. I'm glad that you all think that because it honestly annoys me to no end when people's stories aren't set out in a way that makes it easy to read.**

**As for the vote on whether or not to tell the tribal legends again, only one person said they didn't really mind either way while everyone else told me they already had them practically memorized!**

**Enjoy!**

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The Bonfire

At exactly 6:30 when it began to get dark, Dad spoke in a normal voice in the kitchen down stairs to catch my attention, "Hurry up, Bells. We don't want to be late!"

"Coming," I spoke back at a similar volume before rushing down the stairs and into the kitchen to pull the last of the food out of the oven and into a box.

"Ready?" he asked as he picked up four boxes full of food.

I smiled and grabbed the same amount of boxes, "Yeah, let's go."

"Do you mind if we taking your car?" Dad asked as we walked outside.

I shook my head, "Nope."

We loaded all the food into my car before I hoped in the drivers seat and dad climbed in next to me. The trip up to the beach was short as it was only a five minute walk anyway. When we arrived, the elders already sat around, starting the fire. Several of the elders' wives and mother's of the boys were spreading food out on a table to the side and smiled at us when they noticed we'd brought even more food.

"You didn't have to make anything, Bella," Sue Clearwater, Harry Clearwater's wife, told me with a smile.

I smiled at her and shrugged, "Well, I know how much the boys can eat…"

Sue and the others nodded in agreement.

One of the other women, the only one that didn't look completely Quileute, stepped forward, "I'm so glad they'll have a girl around now. Maybe you'll be able to keep them in line."

I laughed, "Let's hope so."

She smiled at me, "I'm Jasmine Call, Embry's mum."

I smiled at her and shook the offered hand, "Bella Black."

It was then that some of the boys turned up.

"Hey guys," I greeted as I turned to face them. Jake, Embry, Collin and Brady came out of the woods in the usual cut off shorts and no shirt after having just finished off their patrolling. No one was going to miss the bonfire so we were checking the woods thoroughly directly before and afterwards.

"Hey Bells," Jake greeted me at the same time as the rest greeted me with, "Hey Boss".

"All clear?" I asked Jake when I knew no human was listening. Even if they did know about us, I didn't particularly like any of them knowing about the latest news on the vampire front. I didn't want to scare any of them.

Jake nodded next to me, "We could smell that one of the Cullens, the copper-haired male, got really close to the Treaty line but he didn't cross it."

I nodded, "Thanks."

He smiled at me before joining the other three boys that had arrived in helping to set up the fire. Embry seemed to want to help with the food but the women weren't letting him as they didn't trust him or anyone else who'd ever been a werewolf not to eat it all. While I was sitting down watching this happening, Paul and Rachel showed up.

"Hey Bells," Rachel greeted me and went to take a step forward to hug me.

Paul made a slight twitch as if to stop her and I instantly took a step back and smiled apologetically at her, "Sorry, Rach. It's just not a good idea to be to close to such a newly turned werewolf and it really doesn't help that Paul is well aware of how ill-tempered new werewolves are and therefore doesn't want you near me."

She frowned but nodded and stepped back into Paul's arms. Paul smiled at me in apology and I waved him off easily. I already knew I'd have to back off from humans for a little while. The council had let me go to school today but there was still a chance I'd get angry very easily.

Sam turned up just as everyone was taking a seat around the bonfire, a huge smile on his face as he greeted everyone. He then moved me slightly so that I was no longer leaning against a log and instead sat back against his legs. He leaned over and placed a kiss on my hair as he was sitting comfortably.

Jared, Seth and Quil all turned up with their imprints at about the same time. Jared and Kim took a seat close by to Paul and Rach while Quil and Seth both brought their imprints over to meet me. I stood up and greeting both Seth and Quil with a smile before I glanced at the small two year old sitting on Quil's shoulders.

Quil pulled her off his shoulders and into his arms with a grin before telling her, "Claire, this is Bella. Bella, this is my imprint, Claire."

"Hello Claire," I smiled down at her as Sam stood up next to me, his arm going around my waist.

"Hello Bell-a," the small girl greeted with a childish grin and I smiled down at her before turning towards Seth and the small girl standing beside him with her arms wrapped around his waist and her head buried shyly into his stomach.

"Bells, this is Emily," Seth told me with a grin as he turned her face slightly so that she could see me.

"It's nice to meet you Emily," I smiled at her and she smiled timidly back before she hid her face again.

Seth smiled down at her as he spoke, "She's just really shy. I'm sure she'll be talking away by the end of the night."

I smiled at the look of brotherly love he sent towards the small ten year old before glancing up at my own imprint with a smile, "I would have loved having you around when I was younger."

He laughed softly as he placed a kiss on my lips, "You would have been what? Fourteen, when I first phased?"

"Yep," I answered happily.

He smiled down at me, "I would have loved to have been there for more of you life."

I leant up to place another kiss on his lips.

I noticed then that most of the mother's were already leaving after having set up the food. They, as they were not directly involved, could not witness a Pack bonfire. As the last mother disappeared around the curve at the end of the road, Harry called out, "Alright, wolves. Go for it."

I watched in great amusement as all the boys raced to the table of food faster then humanly possible, Sam included, and laughed as I saw Collin and Brady fighting over the last slice of pineapple pizza.

"Well," I heard Dad telling Uncle Billy as I walked at a slightly calmer pace over to the table and picked up a few slices of ham and cheese pizza. "I for one am glad that Bells didn't inherit _that_ werewolf trait."

Uncle Billy and the rest of the elders merely laughed at him.

After I'd picked all the food I wanted, I returned to the bonfire and, before I could even think about sitting somewhere else, I let out a surprised yelp as I felt Sam grab me by the waist and pull me down and into his chest as he casually lent back on the log.

"Comfortable?" he asked me with a grin.

I rolled my eyes at him but smiled all the same, "Yes."

He flashed me a bright smile before digging into the food he'd collected. As I too began eating an insane amount of food that even I couldn't believe I was capable of consuming, I glanced around at all those attending the camp fire.

The members of the generation before us sat at the natural head of the camp fire, there had only been five of them and only three remained. My father sat in the middle with Uncle Billy on his right. Harry Clearwater sat to his left but I knew that that position had not always been his; when the pack had still been phasing, it had been Joshua Uley's place.

The other member not here was Quil's father, instead, his grandfather, Old Quil, sat in his place. He was the last remaining wolf from the pack before our parents still remaining. I'd recently found out that he, like Quil, had imprinted when Quil's grandmother was only young and had remained phasing longer then the others.

Sam and I sat comfortably beside what were now the elders with Jake beside us showing the places the three of us held. The rest of the boys did not really have a place as there had not been this many werewolves since the beginning of the spirit warriors.

Embry sat beside Jake as they consumed masses of food. Jared, Kim, Paul and Rach sat together to one side of the camp fire, increasing my earlier feeling that being imprinted made you slightly different then the rest. Quil and Seth sat with their young imprints together, keeping them entertained and I smiled as I noticed Emily talking away to Seth, her earlier shyness gone. Brady and Collin also sat together, laughing loudly together and messing around.

"Hey," Sam nudged me softly. "You okay?"

I turned to him with a smile on my face, "Yeah. I feel like I'm finally home. I feel like I'm where I belong, with family."

Sam smiled and placed a soft kiss on my lips, "It's amazing the way the pack so easily becomes family."

I smiled as I watched those I considered brothers around the fire, "I think, in a way, I've always known that this is where I was meant to be. It probably explains why I hated Phoenix so much. It could never compare to La Push."

Sam smiled just as my dad cleared his throat to begin the telling of the legends. I listened, staring into the crackling embers, as dad told the stories of our people. I listened as he told of how we came to be wolves and was fascinated by the story. Sure, I'd heard it before but never in so much detail, never when having known it to be real.

"Tonight," Dad continued after he'd finished telling the legend of The Third Wife. "We welcome a new wolf to our pack. However, we also welcome two new imprinted couples and a new leader. Since the moment my first and only child was born, our tribe had feared what would become of us. When my younger brother had a son, we were relieved but when he did not show signs of being Alpha, we feared again. Never before had a first born child of the Black family been female. Never before had a female become a werewolf."

Across the fire, Dad and I looked eyes and, though I knew him to be sad that I had to carry this burden, I also knew him to be proud of me.

"However," Uncle Billy picked up for him when Dad paused. "The impossible has happened. A girl has become a werewolf, a girl has become our Alpha and our future chief and the position will continue on in the family."

I smiled at him across the fire.

"Tonight," Harry continued. "We welcome a new wolf as our current Alpha and future leader as she follows in the foot steps of her ancestors."

My father stood up then and I quickly followed, taking a few steps so that we stood directly facing each other. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a necklace with a hand crafted pendent of our tribe symbol hanging off it. He stared directly at me as he held it in front of me.

"Our ancestors and our descendents have been given the duty of leading this tribe," Dad spoke strongly, loudly. "You, like those before you, have been granted this great gift. Our tribe's safety and future lies in your hands. Do you understand what these responsibilities require of you?"

I nodded, "I do."

"Do you swear to put the needs of this tribe before your own?"

"I do."

"Then I name you, Isabella Black, as my heir," Dad finished and gave me a smile before finally placing the pendent identical to the one he always wore over my head. I returned his smile with one of my own as the wolves around us all began clapping and cheering loudly.

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**Thanks for reading,**

**Twilight lover**


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